Back then, no matter how much she tried to persuade Jiang Shan, she refused to work—complaining that the workplace was too noisy, too tiring. Now that she suddenly wanted to improve herself, it was at least a good thing.
Jiang Shan immediately stopped crying. “Then tell Uncle to hurry up—I want to enter the factory on the same day as Jiang Zao.”
Feng Miao’s uncle was a manager at the steel factory and had close ties with the food factory. After searching around, they finally found a rural-registered female worker.
The woman was an experienced worker in the pastry section and would retire in a month. According to regulations, after retirement she could receive wages and grain coupons. But if her job was replaced by a relative, their household registrations had to be swapped.
The old woman’s rural registration would become urban, and Jiang Shan’s would become rural.
The old woman hadn’t wanted to sell at first, but since her registration was rural, she wanted an urban one so she could stay in the city to take care of her eldest grandson—and make it easier for her daughter-in-law to recover and have another child.
One grandson wasn’t enough.
When Feng Miao and the others approached her, she agreed to sell the job.
Once the job was transferred, she would no longer receive wages or coupons. She named a flat price of 300 yuan—only agreeing because of the household registration exchange.
Aside from her, no one else was willing to sell their job.
Who would give up a stable job?
Jiang Shan’s uncle didn’t recommend the swap. That evening, he personally came to persuade her. “Shan’er, if you replace that aunt’s position as her relative, you’ll become a rural resident.”
The fan creaked as it turned, blowing over Jiang Shan’s small bed.
She hugged her knees. “Is there really no other option?”
Why should Jiang Zao remain a city resident while she had to become rural?
Feng Zheng advised, “There isn’t. If you go to your uncle’s steel factory, you can do whatever job you want.”
“What’s so great about the food factory? Why insist on going there?”
Jiang Shan absentmindedly picked at her fingernail until it dug into her flesh. The pain snapped her back, and she made up her mind. “Arrange it for me. I must enter the food factory.”
Damn Jiang Zao—it was all her fault!
If not for Jiang Zao, how would she have ended up becoming a rural resident?
Her uncle was so capable—he would surely help her transfer back in the future. If he didn’t, then she—
Feng Miao sighed. “Fine, fine. Arrange it. Better than her suffering at home.”
Feng Zheng added, “Remember—you’re a distant relative of Aunt Zhang Cuimiao. Call her great-aunt. You’re replacing her as family. Got it?”
Jiang Shan muttered, “Got it.”
At the beginning of July, a new batch of workers officially entered the food factory.
Jiang Zao wasn’t surprised to see Jiang Shan among them.
Their eyes met—Jiang Shan looked at her smugly.
Wang Meili stood beside Jiang Zao. Noticing Jiang Shan’s hostility, she waited until the supervisor finished explaining the work manual and had everyone line up to receive supplies. Then she seized the chance to approach Jiang Shan.
“Do you hate Jiang Zao?”
Jiang Shan was surprised. “You know her?”
Wang Meili nodded. “Yes. Just tell me—do you hate her?”
She didn’t want to make friends blindly and end up offending everyone.
Jiang Shan’s disgust was written all over her face. “Of course. I hate her. She’s scheming, underhanded—she’s made my life miserable.”
It felt like heaven was helping her—she had found an ally on her first day.
Wang Meili’s gaze turned complicated. “She got in through connections. She doesn’t know anything, yet she was assigned to Master Sun—the best chef in the food factory.”
“You probably don’t know who I am. My father is Wang Shuangquan, the head chef of a state-run restaurant. He’s taught me pastry skills since I was young. Even I wasn’t chosen by Master Sun—so why was she?”
From the moment she entered the factory, Wang Meili kept bringing up her father.
How he taught her to knead dough, portion it, shape it…
How amazing he was.
You could ask a stray dog outside the factory who Wang Meili’s father was, and even it would bark twice.
Jiang Shan laughed. “What else could it be? Obviously because of her face.”
The two chatted idly and forgot to collect their supplies.
Jiang Zao noticed them whispering and occasionally glancing at her.
Let them look—she was busy getting her work uniform.
The food factory truly lived up to its reputation. On the first day, workers received two spring-autumn uniforms, two summer uniforms, two jin of white sugar, two jin of brown sugar, five jin of mung beans to prevent heatstroke, and three jin of millet.
Jiang Zao managed to grab the last few small-sized uniforms.
She wasn’t short—just slender, with a narrow waist, thin arms, and delicate shoulders, giving her a willow-like grace. Yet her chest was full, like two small peaches.
Jiang Zao’s life had nothing.
But her figure had everything.
The sugar was wrapped in paper and tied with string, so it couldn’t be seen. But the mung beans could be inspected—she chose a plump batch, and millet with fewer stones.
After picking, she returned to the line.
When Wang Meili and Jiang Shan went to choose, only larger uniforms were left—loose pants that would slide down without being tied tightly, which was troublesome.
Jiang Shan noticed Jiang Zao’s smaller uniform and stormed over. “Jiang Zao, how sly can you be? While we were talking, you took all the small sizes!”
Jiang Zao’s gaze was calm. “You were busy talking instead of getting them. You’re slow, and now you blame me?”
“Are you three years old?”
Sometimes she really wondered if Jiang Shan had a mental problem—her logic was bizarre, as if the whole world owed her something.
Jiang Shan was about to argue further when the deputy team leader, Chang Sanxi, called out, “What’s all this noise? Comrade Jiang Shan, you and Comrade Wang Meili weren’t paying attention earlier either.”
“I told everyone to collect supplies quickly, then I’d show you around the factory and take you to your posts. You’re not cooperating, and now you’re blaming Comrade Jiang Zao? Why are you so domineering?”
Being criticized on her first day, Jiang Shan’s eyes reddened. Using the tone she used at home to please Feng Miao, she half-apologized, half-acted spoiled. “I understand, Sister Sanxi—I was wrong. I’ll stand properly now.”
Chang Sanxi: “…”
She felt slightly nauseated.
Jiang Shan didn’t dare fight over the uniform anymore. She stood beside Jiang Zao and muttered, “It’s all your fault. If not for you, would I have been scolded?”
Jiang Zao: “?”
Was that even something a human would say?
As a senior worker, Chang Sanxi had been observing the three new female workers.
In her view, Jiang Shan and Wang Meili were both troublemakers.
Jiang Zao, on the other hand, was calm and composed. Even when provoked, she didn’t get angry. Her character and mindset were solid.
No wonder Master Sun had taken a liking to her.
Good.
She was worth cultivating.
Though Chang Sanxi had formed an opinion, she didn’t show it. With a stern face, she said, “Take your things and follow me. I’ll show you around the factory.”
The food factory was mainly divided into three major workshops:
The raw materials workshop, the production workshop, and the packaging workshop.
The pastry team belonged to the production workshop, located on the eastern side of the factory and covering a large area.
After showing them the routes to the raw materials and packaging workshops, Chang Sanxi led them to the production workshop.
“The production workshop is the core of food processing. It handles everything from raw materials to finished products—soaking, steaming, baking, frying. Up ahead is our pastry team.”
When they arrived, everyone went to change into their uniforms.
Aside from the three new female workers, there was also a male worker named Wu Shengli. The four of them were assigned to the pastry team and went to separate changing rooms.
Jiang Zao entered, placed her belongings in her assigned metal locker, and noted she needed to buy a lock later.
Seeing Jiang Zao made Jiang Shan furious. She walked over and deliberately bumped her hard with her elbow. “Move aside. Why does something filthy like you always appear in front of me? It’s disgusting!”